West Virginia Blue
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Ken Ward has a must-read post up about an upcoming "War on Coal"TM event put on by The Coal Forum.
It's bad enough that our politicians spew this nonsense, but now they're making us pay for it.
Mitt Romney might be a better campaigner if he just stood at a podium than he is when he opens his mouth to speak.
Clem and I discussed over beers and pizza how Romney's response to the bullying story would cause more damage to him in the long run than the bullying, as egregious as that was.
Blogger Lance Mannion has a thoughtful post on that very subject:
In his weaselly non-apology apology Romney tried to excuse what he'd done by claiming not to have known Lauber was gay.
Never mind how much of that claim is a lie. All of it was pure political calculation. Mitt knew that last Wednesday was not a good day to be perceived as a homophobe. (By the weekend when he showed up to deliver the commencement address at Liberty University he'd calculated it was safe again.) But here's the thing. It doesn't matter if he knew or not. What he did would have been just as vicious, cruel, and cowardly if Lauber had been straight. And I don't think it would have mattered to Mitt one way or another, because the important fact to a bullies like Mitt and his pals would have been that Lauber was weak and...alone.
snip
Several of the boys who were part of Mitt's mob that day are now old men who are deeply sorry for what they did. I'm sure they are disgusted with their young selves for their meanness and cruelty and for having been so weak and stupid as to have gone along with it.
But I can't help suspecting that they also regret having missed their moment to be Steve Rogers. They had the chance right there to stand up for a little guy against a bully and they muffed it.
As far as anyone can tell, all Mitt regrets is that he's been outed as that bully.
The non-apology apology, the politically calculated response instead of a heart-felt one even penetrated the conventional Beltway pundits who normally make excuses for egregious Republican behavior. Joe Klein:
I fear that I went too easy on Mitt Romney with regard to his high school bullying escapades. It's not the incident itself that troubles me - though it was, obviously, outrageous and disgraceful - so much as his current response: He doesn't remember it. This is patent nonsense. How could he not remember it? Obviously he remembers it, or he wouldn't have been so quick to issue his blanket apology yesterday for any and all hurt he may have caused at Cranbrook. And this transparent fudge once again raises questions about his character.
snip
Instead, Romney has a near perfect record of cowardice, obfuscation and downright lies. It shows enormous disrespect for the intelligence of the public.
Romney's bullying as a teenager and then his cowardly response to be called out on it serves as a good example of what this election comes down to in November. As a venture capitalist, Romney made a fortune taking advantage of companies that were down, looting them for all they were worth, taking worker pensions, and then walking away leaving workers unemployed with no health insurance and the pensions they had worked so hard for over the years gone. Can we as Americans take the risk that Romney will stand up for us, or will he take advantage of those who are unable to stand up for themselves?
No, he says there's a safety net there for them but he's so far beyond it he has no idea how many holes that safety net has.
He has no idea how many of us who are middle class are one healthcare crisis away -- even with insurance -- from needing that safety net ourselves.
His response to the bullying story revealed his biggest problem. He has no empathy for those who are helpless. From the high school bullying to traveling with the dog strapped to the roof of the car to telling a single mother she had to give up her child for adoption or be shunned by the Mormons to laying off workers and looting their pensions to supporting the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare and replace it with an underfunded voucher system, he is willing to go after those who are weak or alone or different.
Unless you're part of his circle of the wealthiest, he'll go after you.
There are 2 kinds of people I see voting against Obama.
1. Racists (but not the majority)
2. The misinformed and the uninformed.(majority!)
People are talking to neighbors and co-workers who heard it from Rush, Hannity, or Beck. Cable news is not very informative, but in the scheme of things not that big of an influence. No, TALK RADIO is where people are getting their talking points.
What's sad is they don't know how much this President has done for them. They don't connect that their 25 year-old-son is still on their insurance, or the car they got from the cash for clunkers was a result of Obama being the President. They've conveniently forgotten that Bush took a surplus and squandered it on 2 senseless wars, and that gasoline was 99 cents a gallon when he took office.
Obama is not going to waste his resources coming here. He knows he's not going to win over voters who have had years of brainwashing.
Manchin and Tomblin are pandering to the ignorant voters and the big money coal people. As far as I can see, it's working out ok for them.
So it turns out the Republican nominee was a punk who assaulted another student?
And Romney has "no recollection" of the incident?
I was in 3 fights in high school..I can remember each of them quite clearly....so I will call Mitt on this. IF it's true, then Mitt you are a liar. You remember it quite clearly.
I am writing to correct misinformation which has been circulated in print and social media, relating to the appearance of a convicted felon, as a candidate for United States President, on the recent democratic primary ballot. I am concerned that because of misstatements and inaccuracies, the confidence of the electorate may have been shaken.
The law is simple. The qualifications for President of the United States are set only by the U.S. Constitution. Those requirements are three:
1. Native born citizen;
2. At least age 35; and
3. Resident of United States for last 14 years.
No other qualifications are set for that office. Individual states cannot impose their own qualifications. Some publications have quoted, in part, a section of the West Virginia Constitution as support for the interpretation that a felon cannot be a candidate. However, the section applies only to "any state, county or municipal office" and does not apply to any federal office such as President. National constitutional experts confirm that a felon may run for federal office. At least 20 court decisions have upheld that principal; according to an Associated Press story of May 11, 2012.
Democratic Party Executive Director Derek Scarbro tells the Gazette no one filed to be a Judd delegate.
Any Democrat wanting to be a delegate to the national convention had to file a statement of candidacy and a statement designing which presidential candidate he is supporting with the state Democratic Executive Committee by 5 p.m. on Election Day.
In addition to no one filing to be a Judd delegate, the Texas inmate also failed to submit a letter to the executive committee designing his state representative, as required, by Feb. 10. Also, Scarbro said, it is unclear whether Judd filed required paperwork with the Democratic National Committee.
The GOP clown car in WV-03 has coughed up a nominee - crazy religious right Delegate Rick Snuffer, best known for a few failed runs for office - including a 2004 effort against Rahall.
Snuffer was able to squeeze his way into the House of Delegates in the Republican wave year of 2010, and has devoted his time to such pressing non-troversies as gay marriage and flag displays.
Facing a loss to redistricting, he's decided to take on Rahall again, and is hoping to cash in on the anti-Obama hysteria and "War on Coal" TM nonsense. Though Snuffer has decided the number one issue facing the Mountain State and motivating him to run is the Israel-Palestine conflict (seriously.)
It's safe to say, this time around, Congressman Rahall will enjoy a much, much easier campaign than the 2010 challenge he faced from disgraced judge Elliott "Spike" Maynard.
People don't tend to vote for unknown candidates in the primary, even if they are unopposed. For example, here in Mon County we had five Democrats running for five house slots, so they were all going to get in. The two newcomers each got about 60% as many votes as the top two incumbents did.
So how did Sue Thorn, the unknown newcomer in the Congressional race, do relative to the incumbent?
Our unofficial complete numbers for the Congressional candidates:
Sue Thorn: 46,333
David McKinley: 33,305
Sue Thorn got 58% of the primary vote.
So while Obama was getting creamed, Sue Thorn had a slam dunk. She got almost as many votes in WV-01 as Joe Manchin or Earl Ray Tomblin (based on 15/20 counties; I will post their numbers when we get complete official results). She got more votes in Mon County than any of our state delegates.
What does this mean? The independent voters will break to the Republican side, as always. Obama is not going to carry West Virginia. Manchin and Tomblin are cruising to easy wins. Sue Thorn is in between- it looks like it might be a tossup at the moment.
The Republicans are going to spend an enormous amount of money trashing Sue. We are going to spend an enormous amount of time spreading the word and getting out the vote.
Our fellow West Virginians once again make this state a joke to the rest of the world, but some of this goes on Sen. Joe Manchin (Manchin Party) and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (Manchin Party).
The president angered voters with new Environmental Protection Agency policies, which some see as a "war on coal" and have stalled mining permits for the state's coal mining industry. Both Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Sen. Joe Manchin, both Democrats, have clashed with Obama on the issue, and neither has committed to supporting him in the fall.
In the latest state-by-state Gallup poll, Obama's approval rating in West Virginia was 32.7 percent. A recent poll gave former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney a 17-point lead over Obama in the state.
But Obama was unpopular in West Virginia before he took office.
In the 2008 Democratic primary, Obama lost West Virginia to Hillary Clinton by 41 points - even though her campaign was all but over.
In the fall, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) beat Obama in the state by 13 points.
Race likely plays some role here. In the 2008 primary, 2 in 10 West Virginia voters said race was an important factor in their votes - more than in any other state. Those voters went for Clinton 8 in 10 times.
As for how Judd got on the ballot: West Virginia has very liberal ballot laws and Judd is an opportunist. He ran in the Idaho Democratic primary in 2008.
This is a sign Obama is going to have trouble with white male voters nationally in November, because racism remains a major problem with that demographic everywhere, but people will just write this off as West Virginia, the butt of many jokes.
When Manchin was governor, he often complained about the Hollywood depiction of West Virginia as a backwards hillbilly region. Unfortunately he's only contributed to that impression by his statements and votes.
Manchin changes his tune ...
as soon as someone calls him out on it.
What this shows is a man lacking in any leadership ability whatsoever. He strong arms and panders his way through life thinking only about what is best for Joe Manchin. He uses the fear, ignorance and racism of his constituents to promote an agenda that is all about Joe Manchin. His real base is the extraction industries and other corporate entities that have sucked the life out of WV for over 100 years. He has done absolutely nothing as governor or senator to dispel the fear and ignorance that keeps WV last in just about everything that matters, but instead keeps it stirred up and panders to it. This guy is a disgrace to the Democratic Party, the State of WV and the late Senator Byrd.
After his "Democrats for Underwood" campaign he should have been run out of the Democratic Party and never permitted to show his face again.
We, as WV Democrats, have done a piss-poor job of dispeling the misconceptions, half-truths and outright lies that Manchin has promoted about the health care bill, contraception and environmental protections? Why are we allowing Joe Manchin to continue to divide this state on life and death issues that should be important to ALL of us. Every time we take this clown at his word and allow him to lie to us some more we are enabling his behavior. Have you forgotten that Manchin is the ONLY Democratic Senator who is an ALEC member and that he has taken campaign cash from the Koch brothers. We rail against others for doing this, but somehow find it acceptable from Joe Manchin. We should be ashamed.
U.S. President - Democrat
% Complete
Precincts Reporting: 1843 of 1844 100%
VOTES %
D (i) BARACK OBAMA 105,854 59%
D KEITH JUDD 72,544 41%
BARACK OBAMA leading by 33,310 votes
U.S. President - Republican
% Complete
Precincts Reporting: 1828 of 1844 99%
VOTES %
R MITT ROMNEY 75,402 68%
R RICK SANTORUM 14,611 13%
R RON PAUL 12,145 11%
R NEWT GINGRICH 6,910 6%
R CHARLES "BUDDY" ROEMER 1,523 1%
MITT ROMNEY leading by 60,791 votes
Looks like an unknown quantity like Keith Judd got almost as many votes as Romney but it also looks like he did pretty well against the president too, why is it when WV voters have a chance to shine they almost always blow it?
"West Virginia's economy is highly dependent on the extraction industry. That's why I'm deeply concerned about mine safety and the health of our workers and families," Thorn said in a statement to the newspaper. "Congressman McKinley, who has accepted money from Don Blankenship (former coal company executive,) continues to accept dirty money from companies who prioritize profits over people's lives. Rep. McKinley should have turned down money from Don Blankenship, and he should be focusing on serving the middle class, not corporations and special interests."
But the state's sole Democrat in the U.S. House, Rep. Nick Rahall, and Manchin's senior West Virginia colleague, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, both said Wednesday that they will vote for Obama.
I went to a meet and greet for Joe today at the Monongalia County Democratic HQ. There were about 20 people there, and he talked to us as a group for almost two hours.
He said that he wished that he hadn't made the comment about not supporting the President for reelection. He said that his reason for saying it was to get the White House's attention- which worked- but that he didn't realize how much other attention it would get.
He stated that he would never endorse, support, or vote for Romney. He also said that he would never switch to the Republican party. Since he agrees with the national Democratic party on 85% of the issues he isn't going to abandon us.
I was pleased to hear him say that he is pushing to get out of Afghanistan and to cut military spending. This is an issue that Sue Thorn has been raising also, so maybe the West Virginia delegation can lead the way. As he said, military spending doubled because of Bush's wars, but now that they are winding down the military lobby is screaming about budget cuts.
After listening to him, I would say that there are a number of issues that we disagree on. However, there are more that we agree on. I disagree with Raese on essentially everything. There is also the character issue: when Raese makes an offensive remark he doesn't apologize- he doubles down. Joe isn't perfect, but he beats the competition hands down.
Elections have consequences. If Jay had lost to Raese, the British press wouldn't be writing about one of our Senators investigating Murdoch's right wing sleaze machine. The only thing Raese would be interested in is how to get on Fox News and how to score campaign donations.
The Chairman of West Virginia's Democrat Party says he'll be working for the election of all Democrats in November, including President Barack Obama
"I support the Democrat ticket from top to bottom and then it's up to the voters to make the decisions on who they believe will be the very, very best for them," Larry Puccio said.
On Wednesday, MetroNews asked Puccio about recent comments from two of the top Democrats in West Virginia, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. At this point, they both are declining to publicly support President Obama whose name will be at the top of the Democrat ticket for the November General Election.
The right-wing MetroNews can't bring itself to write Democratic Party because they're assholes.
The poll found Romney would garner nearly 54 percent of the vote in West Virginia and Obama, nearly 37 percent. Nearly 10 percent of respondents said they were undecided.
But the poll found the clear Republican edge at the top of this fall's ticket didn't extend to Republicans John Raese and Bill Maloney, who are running for U.S. Senate and governor, respectively.
OK, Joe - you're not in a close race. You can quit listening to the supposed wisdom of the Hoppy Kerchevals of the state and drop the flirtation with Romney now.
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